Monthly Archives: November 2016

While many students will be “far from home” as they pursue their college education, “far from home” takes on new meaning to an international student. Coming to the United States for college may mean mastering a second language, acclimating to a different culture, and tackling all the challenges of young adulthood without family nearby.

But what happens when an international student (or their wife or girlfriend) becomes pregnant? Who is there to help them? Thankfully, at Arizona State, international student, Xun, and his wife found the support that they needed through ASU Students for Life.

Read what ASU Students for Life had to share below (found here, Oct. 21st):

“With permission from the parents, ASU Pregnant on Campus is OVERJOYED to share the story of Xun and his wife…and their unborn baby girl due this December!

A few years ago, Xun, an international student, noticed the ASU Pregnant on Campus table while walking through campus. He immediately thought, “I guess some students may need services like that.” Little did he know that in his last year of college he would be one of them!

He brought his wife from China to the United States, and they became pregnant without any insurance to cover prenatal care or their baby’s delivery. Their parents pressured them to abort, but Xun and his wife knew they did not want that. Despite the odds, they wanted to have their child.

Remembering the POC table he had seen years before, Xun wondered if our initiative was still around. With a quick Google search he was able to find our website and contact us to explain his situation.

Our chairwoman at the time linked him with Aid to Women Center (ATWC), a low-cost prenatal care provider for women without insurance, and also supported him through determining eligibility for AHCCCS state health insurance to cover the cost of delivery. Xun and his wife were impressed with ATWC and are still receiving care there, and they have been approved for insurance too. Their baby girl is due this December.

It was a joyful emotional moment for our chairwoman to meet them face to face for the first time this week! They are so grateful for all the help they have received and said that without ASU Pregnant on Campus, they could not have gotten this far in their pregnancy.”

This post is shared with permission from Xun’s family and ASU Students for Life. See more Pregnant on Campus efforts at Arizona State University here. To share your story, contact Beth Rahal, brahal@studentsforlife.org

Students for Life of America, the nation’s largest pro-life youth organization, released this year’s list of Top Colleges and Universities for Pregnant and Parenting Students – Public School Edition.

“Unexpectedly finding out you are pregnant as a college student can be terrifying, lonely, and a huge shock. These students need support and encouragement, and the schools that go out of their way to offer programs, housing, scholarships, and childcare to these students should be commended,” said Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America. “Instead of sending pregnant students to the nearest Planned Parenthood, these schools have put a premium on offering pregnant and parenting students the resources they need so they don’t have to choose between the life of their child and their education.”

According to a 2014 Guttmacher study, 42% of abortions are performed on college aged-women, ages 18-24. Many students feel the pressure to choose an abortion over parenthood, while others feel the pressure to drop out of school and choose parenthood. The top two reasons these mothers give for having an abortion is not being able to continue their job or education and financial issues. But another study done in 2014 shows that 4.8 million undergraduate students are parents of dependent children, making up more than 26% of college students.

SFLA released its first Top Schools for Pregnant and Parenting Students last year but many of them were private Christian or Catholic schools. This year’s list only consists of public universities, a couple of whom were on last year’s list as well.

“Instead of alienating pregnant and parenting students, these public universities are extending a helping hand and making it possible for students to continue their education and care for their families,” said Beth Rahal, Pregnant on Campus Director for Students for Life of America.

In addition to the list below, pregnant students on campus can find excellent resources at www.PregnantonCampus.org, a unique website that has compiled lists of housing options, material resources, financial aid, and support groups at hundreds of schools across the nation.

“We hope that these universities will set the standard when it comes to an attitude of making campus a pregnant and parenting friendly place. They all deserve recognition and applause for their willingness to help all their students succeed,” concluded Hawkins.

Students for Life of America used the following criteria to determine the list of the top schools that foster an environment of true choice, where students can choose their child and their education:

The school must have some of kind of support program or network for pregnant and/or parenting ​students.

The school has policies in place that specifically welcome and accept pregnant/parenting students.